In the filling of small-bore tubing with a pure gas, and where it is desirable that the purity of the gas be maintained, the small-bore tubing must first be evacuated. In general, such small-bore tubing is fitted to vacuum equipment of the same general diameter, such equipment having conduits therein of high impedance, so that the pumping operation is necessarily slow. Needless to say, such a system is unsuitable for large-scale production. In addition, depending upon the particular gas to be introduced into the tubing and on the composition of the tubing, it may be necessary to bake out the tubing prior to filling same. Finally, where the tubing is of glass, it is necessary to provide a join between the tubing and the vacuum equipment which is hermetic and which permits sealing-off of the tubing at the end of the procedure so that the glass tube is closed at both ends. As is evident, an apparatus and a method for carrying out such a procedure is highly to be desired.